There were few times when the choice between socialism and barbarism appeared starker than in 1917.

For years, war and misery had been the lot of ordinary Russians. One hundred years ago today, they took history into their own hands. Hungry, angry workers at Petrograd’s largest factory joined those marching on International Women’s Day to demonstrate against the Tsarist state. Soon, the hated monarchy would be toppled in the historic February Revolution (March 8 is February 23 on the old Julian calendar).